ACTIVITY 4

ACTIVITY 4

ACTIVITY 4

by Kendrick Samson -
Number of replies: 0

This is patient AM, 28-year-old male who came in the ER because of drooping of his left face. He said he woke up and he could not move his left face.

He has no other muscle weakness. He is conscious and coherent although he had a little difficulty speaking because the left side of his lips drooped. He had normal blood pressure and he had no other co-morbidities. He was diagnosed to have Bell’s palsy. Name 5 muscles which are affected and list its actions. Describe the mechanism of his muscle weakness. What other symptoms could the patient exhibit as a result of facial muscle weakness?

In Bell’s palsy, these are the five muscles affected and their corresponding actions:

  1. Orbicularis oculi

  • Action: Closes the eyelids (blinking and squinting)

  1. Zygomaticus major

  • Action: Elevates the corners of the mouth (smiling)

  1. Orbicularis oris

  • Action: Closes and purses the lips (puckering, speaking)

  1. Buccinator

  • Action: Compresses the cheek (aids in blowing and chewing)

  1. Frontalis (part of the occipitofrontalis muscle)

  • Action: Elevates the eyebrows (raising eyebrows) and wrinkles the forehead

Mechanism of Muscle Weakness (Bell’s palsy):

Bell's palsy is caused by inflammation or compression of the facial nerve (CN VII), which is often located in the skull's slender bony canal. A viral infection (such as the herpes simplex virus) may be the cause of the inflammation, leading to demyelination or nerve ischemia. Because the facial nerve can no longer transfer impulses properly, the face muscles on the affected side become weaker or paralyzed.

Here are the other Symptoms from the Facial Muscle Weakness:

  1. Inability to close the affected eye

  2. Loss of taste

  3. Difficulty in speaking

  4. Drooling

  5. Hyperacusis